Report No. 128

Costs for Obtaining Copies of Documents, Typing and Other Miscellaneous Expenses

2.16. Documents which are compulsorily registerable under the provisions of the Indian Registration Act, 1908, are registered by Registry set up under the Act. Copies of such documents can be obtained on payment of certain charges. So far the wisdom of the levy may not be seriously questioned because the Registry renders public service by making available copies of the documents after any length of time. But after the copy is obtained, when the document is produced in a suit or other proceeding, court fee is leviable. This should be totally eliminated.

Any fee must be a one point programme. Once fee is paid for obtaining copies of documents which are shown to have been registered and copies of which are furnished by the registry, the production of certified copy of such document need not be subjected to a further levy of court fee. Therefore, any such levy must be totally removed.